Deep Waters

There is a rather large lake adjacent to one of my favorite dog/hiking birding venues - Myre Big Island State Park. The name of the lake is Albert Lea as in the nearby town. There has always been a mystery surrounding this big lake for me. The mystery, quite simply, is this. Why do I rarely see any kind of boaters there. I mean really! Minnesota has tons of fishermen, water skiers, jet skiers, canoeists and kayakers.

Recent rains had flooded many nearby towns earlier that week but I took a chance anyway. Sure enough the dock at the launch area was a least a foot under water. The ramp was still functional though, and with Mrs. T hopping up and over the bow into the boat, we launched out into the lake.

Of course, we were the only watercraft on the water. We cruised the shoreline, bays and middle of the lake for several hours. We saw plenty of ducks and some submerged backyards. Also some beautiful shoreline as the leaves had begun to change color.

I kept the depth finder running so as not to run aground. That proved to be the key to the mystery. With the lake at least two feet above normal, judging by the flooded docks and yards, the deepest spot on the lake I could find was 6 feet. Hmmmm. Mystery solved.